POLICE and council chiefs are looking into dog-related incidents in Ellesmere Port after a child was killed by a pit bull terrier in Merseyside.

Five-year-old Ellie Lawrenson was mauled to death at her grandmother's home in St Helens on New Year's Day.

Merseyside Police has so far seized 30 suspected dangerous dogs from St Helens and Fazackerley, which they believe were being trained to take part in dog fighting.

Although Cheshire Constabulary says it isn't aware of any similar incidents in this borough, officers are now checking their records just in case.

Martin Findlow, the force's specialist rural affairs officer, said: 'We have not had any reported incidents in relation to dangerous dogs, as described under the Dangerous Dogs Act, in Ellesmere Port since the tragic incident in St Helens. We are, however, currently examining records from last year to see what type of information we hold about all types of incidents involving dogs.

'These range from noisy dogs to a stray wandering the street.

'Some make mention of breeds such as pit bulls but it's important to remember that information has come from the person reporting the incident and, in many cases, the breed is just an assumption.

'We're now looking into these reports to see if there are any issues. We can then see what the situation is for our communities.

'People can rest assured that we are taking this issue very seriously.'